Push button for operating rotary-tumbler locks



Sept. 16, 1924. 1,508,518

E. A. HILL PUSH BUTTON FOR OPERATING ROTARY TUMBLER LOCKS Filed Sept. 27, 13922 I v 4 gnvcnl'oz Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

ELERT A. HILL, or LOS Amen-fins, CALIF on-nIA, Assrenon, To sTor-nUnGLAn -.,IIook COMPANY, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION or CALIFORNIA.

r'osn BUTTON non OPERATING RoTAnY-TUMBLER LOCKS.

Application filed September 27, 1922. 1 Serial No. 590,978

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELER'I A. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Push Buttons for Operating Rotary-Tumbler Locks,'of which the following is a specification.

This invention particularly pertains to a push button for operating rotary tumblers of the character shown in my co-pending applications, filed April 1, 1922, Serial No. 548,770, Serial No. 593,534, filed October 10, 1922, and Serial No, 681,642, filed December 19, 1923, and which tumblers are used in combination or permutation locks of: the type disclosed in my co-pendi'ng applications for United States Letters Patent, being an application filed' February 14, 1922, Serial Number 536,581, an application filed October 30, 1922, Serial No. 592,127, an application filed October 13, 1922, Serial No. 594,369, and an application filed October 7, 1922, Serial No. 593,006, inwhich a rotary tumbler fitted with ratchet teeth is designed to be rotated in one direction with a step by step movement by the operation of a pushbutton.

It is the object of this invention to provide a rotary tumbler operating pushbutton by means of which thetumbler maybe given an advanced step movement by movement of the pushbutton in one direction and on retraction of the pushbutton be subjected to a drag that will act to impart a slight retrograde movement of the tumbler to insure proper alignment of the latter when the pushbutton is restored to normal position, and whereby the tumbler will be disposed in proper position for operation on again depressing the pushbutton.

,With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, my invention resides in the parts and in the construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: 7 4

Figure 1 is a view in verticals'ection of a lock casing showing-the pushbutton as assembled; Figure 4 being a perspective View of a slide block, Figure 5 a perspective view of a dog carried between the slide block andthe pushbutton, andFigure' 6 is a perspective View of the pushb'utton'.

Figure 7 is a detail inhorizontal section as seen on the line 7'7 of Figure 1 showing. the manner of assembling the pushbutton and its associated parts. a

More specifically, 10 indicates a lock casing which maybe of any suitable construction and is here shown asformed with a front wall 11, back of which visa chamber 12 to receive the lock mechanism, and 13 indicates a slide bolt which" is'mounted in the lock casing within thev chamber ,12 and may be operated by appropriate mechanism not necessary to be here shown. A rotary tumbler 14 encircles the bolt in a' manner not necessary to be, here set forth; the spee ci'fic form of the tumbler here shown'being set forth and claimed i'n'my co pending application Serial No. 593,534, above, mentioned. The tumbler 14 is formed. with ratchet teeth 15 on its outer periphery and carried on the front wall 11 of the lock casing is a plunger 16, which is normally held in engagement with the ratchetteeth of the tumbler by means-of a springl'7 theplunger 16 serving 'to limit rotation of the tumbler to one direction except asnto a slight retrograde movement permitted-by the, spacing of the ratchet. teethi The plunger also serves to frictionally engage as to retard its advance transverse to the axis of rotation of the tumbler and slidably mounted in the guide channel is a block 19.

The forward face of the blocl: is formed with parallel vertical flanges 20 to receive a pawl 21, The pawl comprises a plate portion 22, provided with side flanges 23-2 l, which flanges are formed with opposed tapered or outwardly flared recesses 25-26 as shown in Figure 5, the inner surfaces of which recesses are shaped to conform to a cone. The pawl. thus formed is designed to be loosely interposed between the flanges 20 on the block with the wall 22 of the pawl seating against the end of the block between the flanges 20. A pushbutton 27 extends through the wall 11 in axial alignment with the guide channel 18 and the block 19 and formed on the inner end of the pushbutton is a cone 28 adapted to seat in the divided conical bearing formed on the pawl.

Interposed between the slide block 19 and a suitable abutment is a spring 29 for retracting the pushbutton through the pawl and slide block and normally maintaining the pushbutton in its retracted position when the latter is free. A shoulder 30 is formed on the pushbutton to abut against the inner face of the wall 11 to limit the retracted movement of the pushbutton.

The lower end of the pawl 21 projects through a guide slot 31 leading from the guide channel 18 into the chamber 12 and is thereby held against turning. The lower end of the pawl is disposed to engage the ratchet teeth on the tumbler being normally positioned out of contact with the tumbler and to one side of the vertical. center thereof as shown in Figure 1, and is adapted to operate as follows: On depression of the pushbutton 27 the pawl and slide block are advanced in opposition to the spring 29, and the lower edge of the pawl is brought into engagement with one of the ratchet teeth on the tumbler so that on continued advance movement of the pawl the tumbler will be caused to move therewith, indicated in Figure 2. When the pawl has been. moved to nearly its fully advanced position, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, the tumbler will be rotated a partial revolution such distance that the plunger 16 will ride out of engagement with one ratchet tooth and be engaged with a succeeding tooth. It is pos sible, however, that the tumbler be rotated a distance such that the end of the ratchet tooth adjacent the plunger will be moved away from the plunger, so as to be spaced from the latter when the tumbler comes to rest, which would dispose the tumbler out of proper relation to certain parts of the lock mechanism not shown. However, on release and retractionof the pushbutton, under ac-.

tion of the spring 29, the pawl 21 by reason of being loosely mounted between the block and the pushbutton will move upward in the block as it rides up the incline wall of the ratchet tooth, and will bear thereon with such eii ort as to eii'ect a slight retra tive movement of the tumbler necessary to bring the tumbler in proper alignment with the end of tooth abutting against the plunger, The pawl is permitted to ride o er a ratchet tooth from the incline side thereof, because of its loose mounting in the block; the pawl then rocking on the cone 28. After the pawl has passed the ratchet tooth it will be quickly restored to its normal position on the cone and with the push-button will be returned to the retracted position in readiness for another operation.

I claim:

1.. In a push-button for operating rotary tumblers in combination with a revoluble tumbler having ratchet teeth, a slide blocl: guided to move at right angles to the axis of rotation of said tumbler, a spring for exerting a retractive effort on said block, a push button for advancing said block in opposition to said spring, and a pawl loosely supported between said block and push-button adapted to move in and out of engagemen with the ratchet teeth on advancing and retracting said push-button.

2. A push-button tor operating rotary tumblers, comprising in combination with. a tumbler having ratchet teeth a block 1nounted to slide at right angles to the axis of rotation of said tumbler, a spring "for retracting said block, a push-button for advancing said block having a conical end, and a pawl interposed between said block and push-button having a tapered seat loosely engaging the conical end of the push-button, said pawl being adapted to ride in and out of engage ment with the ratchet teeth on the tumbler on advancing and retracting said push button.

3. ln a push-button mechanism for actuating rotary tumblers in combination with a tumbler formed with ratchet teeth, a push button, a spring opposing movement of the push-button in one-direction and serving to retract the said push-button, and a pawl loosely supported between said spring and the end of said push-button and yieldably held seated on the latter by said spring, said pawl being adapted to ride in and out of en gagement with the ratchet teeth.

1. In a push-button mechanism for operating a rotary tumbler, a tumbler formed with ratchet teeth, a push-button, a spring operable to retract said push-button, and a pawl engageable with the ratchet teeth seating on said push-button under pressure of said spring adapted on retraction of said push-button to effect a dragging action on said tumblerr 5. In a push button mechanism for operteeth, a push button having its inner end ating a rotary tumbler, a revoluble tumbler bearing against said pawl and adapted to formed with ratchet teeth, a guide-Way exadvance the pawl in said guideway, and a 10 tending at right angles to the axis of rotaspring yieldably opposing the advance of tion of said tumbler, a pawl slidably carried said pawl.

on said guide-Way and arranged to ride in v i and out of engagement with the ratchet ELERT A. HILL. 

